By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent

SYCAMORE, Ill. — Rural youth ages 14 years and older are invited to participate in a Tractor Safety School planned for March. Registration is being accepted at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau office.

The purpose of the safety school is to train youth, who work or plan to work on farms and run mid-to-large size tractors and machinery, to properly and safely operate this equipment.

The Tractor Safety School is set for March 5-6 and March 12-13 and will be held at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Center for Agriculture, 1350 W. Prairie Drive, Sycamore. Friday night classes will run from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday classes are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The school is designed for 14- to15-year-old youth needing certification. Older youth may also participate. Youth, ages 12 to 13, may attend, but cannot be certified. Participants are required to attend all sessions.

Current law states youth 16 years and older may be employed in agriculture and do not need to be certified. Those 14 to 15 years may be employed, providing they have been certified. The law does not apply to youth working on their family’s farm.

Sixteen hours of classroom instruction, plus a written skills and driving test is needed for certification as part of the National Safe Tractor & Machinery Operation Program. Some at-home hours will be counted in the coursework.

Three state-certified instructors, including Amy and Kurt Rademacher of Champaign, Ill., will provide instruction. Manuals will be provided, as well as handouts, plus meals.

Equipment for the driving test will be set up in the Farm Bureau parking lot.

“We are holding the program in March, prior to spring planting,” said Mariam Wassmann, director of information for the DeKalb County Farm Bureau.

“We have to file certificates with the National Safety Council and follow their guidelines.

“The instructors make sure that the coursework, driving class, etc., are sanctioned with the safety council,” Wassmann added.
The cost of $40 per person covers the manual, certification fee, refreshments and other expenses.

A minimum of 10 youth is required to conduct this course. To register, contact the Farm Bureau office, 815-756-6361, by Feb. 12.
The Tractor Safety School is being sponsored by the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Health & Safety Committee.